# Observation and Vinotemp question



## Costa (Jan 26, 2008)

Observation: I think, since joining here, I have (wisely) spent so much money and have taken my hobby of cigars to another level. My Palio cutter, my beads, and now my new Vinotemp, which I just picked up. I owe everyone here a great "thank you", especially those guys who posted about how they built theirs (diesel) and bobarian for posting about the special at Target. I have read every post about how they did it, and the pro's and con's. Thank you for informing the uninformed. I have now gone from this:









to this which I bought about 20 minutes ago:










Thanks to all those with all that experience and knowledge, and passing it down.

My question is now about shelving. I have read every thread, and I see the sites guys have gone to for spanish cedar shelving. Are you guys happy with that set-up? Has anyone used any flat wire mesh shelving for better airflow? Also I read where one gentleman put a Spansih cedar grate on the bottom floor. Thoughts? I am ordering the beads and everything else, including storage shelves. Also, I have zero wood cutting tools, is there any place I can go to order the exact size shelves I need? Any feedback on what sizes worked well for better airflow? I would like to order shelves, but want to get it right.

Any and all input welcome, I am all ears.

Again, I can't thank you guys enough for all the free education. You all have made this hobby of mine that much more enjoyable.


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## bobarian (Oct 1, 2007)

Check your area for a Rockler or Woodcraft store. They both supply 3/16 x 4" Cedar and may be able to cut to exact length for you at a minimal charge. Wire mesh doesnt smell like Spanish Cedar. With the two Oust fans air flow seems to be fine.


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## ljh824 (Oct 14, 2007)

While the wire mesh will do well for airflow, they are not flat and the mesh isn't narrow enough to hold odd shaped boxes or singles. I have some cedar on the way from woodcraft to make some shelves, and I bought two cedar trays from cigarmony to hold singles.


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## Costa (Jan 26, 2008)

Thanks ljh! Can't seem to find the cedar trays anywhere, they seem backordered. Went to cigarmony, and the page that should show the trays are blank: http://www.cigarmony.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=38

Thanks bobarian, found a local Woodcraft (about 50 minutes away) that I plan on hitting this weekend to get my shelves.

What are the exact dimensions that guys have found worked best to split up the shelves? I would also think that thicker (1/2") would be better, no? So they don't bend.

Now I have to check out this cbid thing everyone is talking about to fill her up.....:ss


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## chippewastud79 (Sep 18, 2007)

Costa said:


> Now I have to check out this cbid thing everyone is talking about to fill her up.....:ss


Just call your credit card company right now and ask for a credit limit increase to about $25,000:hn:chk:chk:chk:chk


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## gnukfu (Dec 19, 2007)

chippewastud79 said:


> Just call your credit card company right now and ask for a credit limit increase to about $25,000:hn:chk:chk:chk:chk


That will take care of you for a couple of months.


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## tfar (Dec 27, 2007)

With this type of fridge and without woodworking tools I would actually use perforated metal sheets for shelves. Use alu or stainless, it won't rust and allow perfect circulation. If you still want cedar smell consider simply putting cedar boards on the sides and back of the fridge but not as shelves. You will get good airflow through the shelves plus nice cedar smell plus added insulation on the walls. Total win situation, especially considering that you can probably cut the wall panels to size with a simple hand saw or ask a neighbor or friend. Should be a 15 minute job. Measure the wall panels so they stay put simply by tight tolerances between the shelves.

Make sure you season them appropriately before you put the sticks in as the wood will suck up a ton of moisture.

Only problem is where to find the perforated metal shelves. Does anybody know?

Till


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## Soprano3695 (Jul 16, 2007)

What do you plan on setting your Vinotemp at?


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## Silound (May 22, 2007)

I have acrylic cutting boards with large holes drilled in them for shelves. They flex a little, but they're cheap and I have cedar trays and boxes already.


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## bobarian (Oct 1, 2007)

Costa said:


> Thanks ljh! Can't seem to find the cedar trays anywhere, they seem backordered. Went to cigarmony, and the page that should show the trays are blank: http://www.cigarmony.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=38
> 
> Thanks bobarian, found a local Woodcraft (about 50 minutes away) that I plan on hitting this weekend to get my shelves.
> 
> ...


Remember cigars are relatively light. I use 3/16 shelves, two pieces 4" wide per shelf. No bending at all with full box loads. 1/2" may not even fit in the side grooves and it is very expensive compared to the 3/16.


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## Costa (Jan 26, 2008)

> What do you plan on setting your Vinotemp at?


Going with about 1.5 lbs of 65% RH beads. Then one or two Oust fans.

Last summer had major temperature issues (very hot and humid). I live right on the water (20 yards from open ocean, very breezy and damp), and like to leave the windows/back slider open for the shore smell/sound, but that can lead to very damp and moist air. I noticed last summer my RH was through the roof, and many sticks were not staying lit and splitting on me. Hopefully this solves the problem.

In reading, my only question now is to plug or not to plug the drainage hole, and how to address any condensation. The input here on that is so varied. Going with it as is for now, we will see what happens. If need be, I can go with one members idea of using a black divider from a notebook and having it run into some beads.


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## Costa (Jan 26, 2008)

> I use 3/16 shelves, two pieces 4" wide per shelf.


Do you remeber the exact width that worked for yours? Measuring it, it looks a hair over 15"........


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## Fortunate_Son (Feb 5, 2008)

Costa said:


> Thanks bobarian, found a local Woodcraft (about 50 minutes away) that I plan on hitting this weekend to get my shelves.
> 
> What are the exact dimensions that guys have found worked best to split up the shelves? I would also think that thicker (1/2") would be better, no? So they don't bend.


I'm in the same boat as you, just picked up the $150 Vinotemp at Target this weekend and haven't set it up yet. I measured the shelf slots at just under 1/2" so ordered the 3/8 spanish cedar strips from Woodcraft for no other reason than I just have to build everything as strong as I can. For a few minutes I even considered using the 3/4" thick material and milling the ends down to fit the slots. My plan is to use three widths for each shelf and cut ventilation slots in them on a router table.


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## IslandRick (Aug 20, 2007)

Costa said:


> Do you remeber the exact width that worked for yours? Measuring it, it looks a hair over 15"........


Mine wound up being 14 5/8" wide X 11 1/2" Deep. I used 3/8th inch boards from Woodcraft ripped into 2" width pieces as cross beams for support with 1/4th inch slats on top. Might have been a little overkill but I kept the strength and still had air circulation. I ripped the 1/4th inch into 3 pieces. This gave me 4 shelves.

I used Oliva G Tubos boxes for trays because 2 can fit on a shelf and the boxes used the entire depth of the shelf. You have to remove the hardware from the boxes to enable the 2 boxes to fit the shelf. It didn't look like any of the commercially available cedar trays would enable me to fit the 2 trays to a shelf. Hope this helps. I've attached a photo of my Vinotemp.

Rick
:cb


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## Costa (Jan 26, 2008)

> I'm in the same boat as you, just picked up the $150 Vinotemp at Target this weekend and haven't set it up yet. I measured the shelf slots at just under 1/2" so ordered the 3/8 spanish cedar strips from Woodcraft for no other reason than I just have to build everything as strong as I can. For a few minutes I even considered using the 3/4" thick material and milling the ends down to fit the slots. My plan is to use three widths for each shelf and cut ventilation slots in them on a router table.


Man, what a great buy, huh? If this works as good as everyone says it will, I am one happy camper.

I agree, I am the same way. I am going with the 3/8" as well. I may see if the can do any milling for me there, never been to one of their stores before. A few minutes ago just ordered the Oust fans from amazon.

Just cant find trays ANYWHERE......


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## Costa (Jan 26, 2008)

> Mine wound up being 14 5/8" wide X 11 1/2" Deep. I used 3/16th boards from Woodcraft ripped into 2" width pieces as cross beams for support with 1/4th inch slats on top. Might have been a little overkill but I kept the strength and still had air circulation. I ripped the 1/4th inch into 3 pieces. This gave me 4 shelves.


Wow, I really like the look of that. Any chance of a pic of just the shelf?


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## IslandRick (Aug 20, 2007)

Costa said:


> Wow, I really like the look of that. Any chance of a pic of just the shelf?


I had to correct my post. It was 3/8th inch I used for the cross supports. I'll be glad to post a photo of just the shelf first thing in the AM. Hope this helps. 
Rick
:cb


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## Costa (Jan 26, 2008)

> I had to correct my post. It was 3/8th inch I used for the cross supports. I'll be glad to post a photo of just the shelf first thing in the AM. Hope this helps.
> Rick


Already has Rick, thank you.


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## Fortunate_Son (Feb 5, 2008)

Costa said:


> Man, what a great buy, huh? If this works as good as everyone says it will, I am one happy camper.
> 
> I agree, I am the same way. I am going with the 3/8" as well. I may see if the can do any milling for me there, never been to one of their stores before. A few minutes ago just ordered the Oust fans from amazon.
> 
> Just cant find trays ANYWHERE......


Fantastic buy compared to the cost of desktop humidors. :tu

I haven't found trays either, think I'll see what empty boxes I can pick up at local B&M's or maybe the world's largest online auction site. Rick's setup is damn nice for both shelves and boxes.

I need Oust fans too.

I decided not to plug the drain unless I run into trouble maintaining humidity. I think the designers already considered the seal there, and made it in the form of a water trap. It's not a straight through hole, so I just poured a little distilled water in it to form the initial seal. Whether I'll see enough condensation to maintain it over time remains to be seen but given the rigs others are using to return that to beads on the bottom I think it'll be ok once the RH is high enough.


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## IslandRick (Aug 20, 2007)

Fortunate_Son said:


> Fantastic buy compared to the cost of desktop humidors. :tu
> 
> I haven't found trays either, think I'll see what empty boxes I can pick up at local B&M's or maybe the world's largest online auction site. Rick's setup is damn nice for both shelves and boxes.
> 
> ...


For the rest of this month Famous Smokes is running the Oliva Tubos for $36.99 box + free s&H + the Oliva sampler free. I like the Oliva G's anyway so when I considered I got my smokes, my trays and the free extra cigars I couldn't resist pulling the trigger on 10 boxes of the tubos. I'm stocking up my igloo anyway in case the democrats get their way with SCHIP. I trying to get a bunch o' smokes stockpiled.

Amazon's shipping cost on those Oust fans is unreal. I wanted to order a couple extra because I heard they were being discontinued.

Thanks about my setup by the way!

Rick
:cb


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## tfar (Dec 27, 2007)

Costa said:


> Going with about 1.5 lbs of 65% RH beads. Then one or two Oust fans.
> 
> Last summer had major temperature issues (very hot and humid). I live right on the water (20 yards from open ocean, very breezy and damp), and like to leave the windows/back slider open for the shore smell/sound, but that can lead to very damp and moist air. I noticed last summer my RH was through the roof, and many sticks were not staying lit and splitting on me. Hopefully this solves the problem.
> 
> In reading, my only question now is to plug or not to plug the drainage hole, and how to address any condensation. The input here on that is so varied. Going with it as is for now, we will see what happens. If need be, I can go with one members idea of using a black divider from a notebook and having it run into some beads.


Costa (great name for someone living on the coast, by the way),

what is your actual in room humidity? Did you check? You might not even need any extra humidification. I would hold off on the beads first. My vinotemp (I have the 21 bottle and two temperature model) has a default humidity of around 35%. But my air humidity right now is not much higher than that at around 40%. What I am saying is that perhaps it will work alright without humidification. Try that first. Then try to plug the drain hole and mist the inside with distilled water.If that doesn't work get the beads.

Get the Exquisicat Pearl Fresh kitty litter beads from Petsmart. They work fine for me so far (still need more longterm experience till the final verdict can come). at $14 for 7lbs it's worth a try. Unplug the drain hole when you first try the beads. You will get the humidity high enough with the beads and your location. No doubt. Right now I am using 1.5 lbs of these beads. I am still waiting for them to see where they will settle. If they settle anywhere between 65 and 70%, I will be happy.

If things get too wet, just throw in some more dry beads. It really works by gradual approximation.

Good luck,

Till


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## borndead1 (Oct 21, 2006)

Costa said:


> What are the exact dimensions that guys have found worked best to split up the shelves? I would also think that thicker (1/2") would be better, no? So they don't bend.


I got some 1/4" planks of Spanish Cedar from ebay and cut them to fit. 1/4" is a perfect fit for the shelf slots. You end up with about 14.5" in width. In fact, I just looked and this is exactly what I bought and it ends up working perfectly for 3 shelves:

http://cgi.ebay.com/BUILD-YOUR-OWN-...ryZ11675QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

The pieces are 29" long which is absolutely perfect, you can damn near just cut them in half.

The grated inserts you referred to are available at Famous Smoke Shop: http://www.famous-smoke.com/cigars/search/accstats.cfm/inum/17530

They are 12" wide, which will leave just a bit of space on each side, but they are perfect for improving air flow and aroma of course. Speaking of which -- I'm sure you've heard many a BOTL here at CS say to "air out" your fridge. With my second one, I washed the inside with water and baking soda, left it open for about a week, then when I cut my shelving, I wiped the wood down with distilled water before inserting them into the slots. Closed it up, and opened it every few days until I could smell the Spanish Cedar and not the plastic.


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## Costa (Jan 26, 2008)

> For the rest of this month Famous Smokes is running the Oliva Tubos for $36.99 box + free s&H + the Oliva sampler free.


Ordered!! Thanks!!! What a great deal, thanks again for posting that!!



> Costa (great name for someone living on the coast, by the way),
> 
> what is your actual in room humidity? Did you check? You might not even need any extra humidification.


Strictly coincidence, thats my last name. In the winter its dry as hell. Its about 21 degrees, windy as hell, and I have forced hot air. Its the summer months where I get the humid sea breeze.

Thanks for the input Till and Rick!! I'm all ears, keep it coming...haha.

Still like the trays, at least one.....wonder why they are out everywhere...


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## IslandRick (Aug 20, 2007)

Costa said:


> Ordered!! Thanks!!! What a great deal, thanks again for posting that!!
> 
> Strictly coincidence, thats my last name. In the winter its dry as hell. Its about 21 degrees, windy as hell, and I have forced hot air. Its the summer months where I get the humid sea breeze.
> 
> ...


I think a lot of folks that use igloos also buy the trays as well. They probably just have a lot of demand since the wine coolers are getting cost effective too.

Rick


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## IslandRick (Aug 20, 2007)

Costa,

Sorry it took so long to get back with you about the pics but I was having trouble with the digital camera. Got that resolved and uploaded three more pics. If you need a different view let me know. These show the shelf in closeup, and with the boxes in use. Hope this helps.

Rick
:cb


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## No1der (Apr 2, 2007)

tfar said:


> Costa (great name for someone living on the coast, by the way),
> 
> what is your actual in room humidity? Did you check? You might not even need any extra humidification. I would hold off on the beads first. My vinotemp (I have the 21 bottle and two temperature model) has a default humidity of around 35%. But my air humidity right now is not much higher than that at around 40%. What I am saying is that perhaps it will work alright without humidification. Try that first. Then try to plug the drain hole and mist the inside with distilled water.If that doesn't work get the beads.
> 
> ...


Not sure if I understood correctly but are you using kitty litter for your humidification source? I'm asking because I haven't heard that one before...

Cheers,
Rob


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## Costa (Jan 26, 2008)

> Costa,
> 
> Sorry it took so long to get back with you about the pics but I was having trouble with the digital camera. Got that resolved and uploaded three more pics. If you need a different view let me know. These show the shelf in closeup, and with the boxes in use. Hope this helps.


It does, thank you so much. Just got a phone call that the place I ordered the Oust fans no long has them, offered me ones that plug into a receptacle....now THATS not going to work.

Damn, no fans or trays........ugh.


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## IslandRick (Aug 20, 2007)

Costa said:


> It does, thank you so much. Just got a phone call that the place I ordered the Oust fans no long has them, offered me ones that plug into a receptacle....now THATS not going to work.
> 
> Damn, no fans or trays........ugh.


After a quick Google search for Oust fans, the cheapest deal on eBay that I saw was 6 for $19.98 and around $12 for S&H. For 6 fans, thats about the price I paid per fan when Walmart had them. It seemed like I paid about $6 for mine. You might see if some folks want to do a box split on the Oust fans.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Lot-Of-6-Oust-P...ryZ20553QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Rick
:cb


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## Costa (Jan 26, 2008)

I just put a bid on three of them. Will only need two, so Fortunate_son, I know you just bought the set-up I did, if I win them, I only need 3, you can have the third one. I will let you know if I win the bid......

Thanks again for the ebay tip Rick!


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## Fortunate_Son (Feb 5, 2008)

Costa said:


> I just put a bid on three of them. Will only need two, so Fortunate_son, I know you just bought the set-up I did, if I win them, I only need 3, you can have the third one. I will let you know if I win the bid......
> 
> Thanks again for the ebay tip Rick!


Thanks - I'm heading out in search of these locally tomorrow, might get lucky at Walgreens or CVS.

I got lucky at my local B&M tonight on box/tray, picked up a 40 ct Patel Old World Reserve box that looks like about as good a fit for two per shelf as Rick's arrangement with the Oliva boxes. They had a couple more and I'll try to pick them up tomorrow.

Beads, hygrometer, and shelf cedar should be here by Friday so I know what this weekend's project will be.


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## Costa (Jan 26, 2008)

> Beads, hygrometer, and shelf cedar should be here by Friday so I know what this weekend's project will be.


What did you go with on the shelf cedar for size and set up? I am going with 2 - 3/8" x 4" x 15 1/8" per shelf. I loved Ricks idea, but am going quick and dirty. Shooting for 5 shelves.

Let me know how you make out with the fans.


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## tfar (Dec 27, 2007)

Costa said:


> Let me know how you make out with the fans.


Don't make out with the fans! I hear it really hurts. :w

Till


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## Fortunate_Son (Feb 5, 2008)

Costa said:


> What did you go with on the shelf cedar for size and set up? I am going with 2 - 3/8" x 4" x 15 1/8" per shelf. I loved Ricks idea, but am going quick and dirty. Shooting for 5 shelves.
> 
> Let me know how you make out with the fans.


I went with six lengths of the 3/8" material, for four shelves at 3 boards wide each. I might do something special with the front of one for mounting the hygrometer, haven't decided yet.

I've already ordered some smokes that'll need to go in there, so the fixings better not arrive late.


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## Fortunate_Son (Feb 5, 2008)

Costa said:


> Let me know how you make out with the fans.


I found a few (4) Oust fans today between two local Big Lots. I figured I can use a couple extras for spares in case of failure or if the Dems take the white house and we end up stocking coolerdors in anticipation of tax hikes.


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## Costa (Jan 26, 2008)

> I found a few (4) Oust fans today between two local Big Lots.


Still waiting on my bid on ebay. Ordered a bunch of cigars (CAO from Joes sepcial, La Aurora 5 pack, box of Oliva Tubos, etc.) and they are rolling in, but no beads yet. Hopefully tomorrow. Went to woodcraft, and ordered the Spanish Cedar for the shelves. I am so impatient..........somebody say something about a slope? :tu


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## chippewastud79 (Sep 18, 2007)

Costa said:


> Still waiting on my bid on ebay. Ordered a bunch of cigars (CAO from Joes sepcial, La Aurora 5 pack, box of Oliva Tubos, etc.) and they are rolling in, but no beads yet. Hopefully tomorrow. Went to woodcraft, and ordered the Spanish Cedar for the shelves. I am so impatient..........somebody say something about a slope? :tu


Everything should be fine for a few days no problem until the beads get there. 
While you waiting go ahead and go to the devil and ask for a higher credit limit. :tu 
See ya at the bottom.


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